PARENTS in Cornwall have been hit with thousands more fines for children missing school as penalty notices have soared by more than seven times in just two years.

New figures show Cornwall Council issued just 616 fines for unauthorised school absence in 2023/24.

That figure rocketed to 4,552 the following year before falling back to 3,102 in 2025/26.

The dramatic increase was revealed at a recent meeting of Cornwall Council’s Together for Families scrutiny committee.

Cllr James Mustoe asked how the number of fines issued to parents had changed, with Cllr Hilary Frank, cabinet member for children, families and schools, explaining that the rise followed changes introduced by the government.

New national rules came into force in August 2024, meaning schools must consider issuing a penalty notice when a child has ten sessions of unauthorised absence – equivalent to five school days – during a rolling ten-week period.

The changes have significantly tightened the approach to school attendance, with Cornwall seeing the impact in the number of cases referred for enforcement.

Cllr Frank said that after five days or more of unauthorised absence, a headteacher can decide whether a penalty notice should be issued.

The case is then referred to Cornwall Council, which reviews the circumstances before deciding whether a fine should be imposed.

Parents receiving a first penalty notice face a fine of £80 if it is paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if it is paid within 28 days. A second fine issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year period is automatically set at £160.

There is a limit of two fines per parent, per child during any three-year period.

A third offence does not result in another penalty notice and instead can lead directly to prosecution in a magistrates’ court.

The cost of fines also increased under the 2024 changes. Previously, parents faced a £60 penalty if they paid within 21 days, rising to £120 if they paid within 28 days.

The latest Cornwall figures mean 3,936 more penalty notices were issued in 2024/25 than in 2023/24.

Although the number fell by more than 1,400 in 2025/26, the latest total remains more than five times higher than before the new national rules came into force.

The figures highlight the scale of the government’s tougher approach to school attendance across Cornwall, with thousands of families now potentially facing financial penalties when children miss school without authorised reasons.

The council stressed that cases are considered individually before a penalty notice is issued, rather than fines being automatically triggered when the attendance threshold is reached.

The figures were discussed as part of scrutiny of the council’s work with children and families, with attendance remaining a key issue for schools across Cornwall. The latest figures also show that, despite the fall from the 2024/25 peak, enforcement remains at a much higher level than it was before the rules changed, as new rules took effect.